Crave Salty Foods? Think Twice!

If you crave salty foods, you are not alone. It is estimated that the average American eats about fifteen pounds of salt a year. Some cravings for food can be healthier than other food cravings, and then there are food cravings that can be downright dangerous to your health.

Salty Diet Can Affect Your Health

If you crave salty foods, you are craving a substance that can send your blood pressure soaring, which is harmful to your health. Other dangers associated with a salty diet include hypertension and the leaching of calcium from your bones.

Some medical conditions that may cause salt cravings include sickle cell anemia, high blood pressure and diabetes. Adrenal exhaustion, which is caused by a stressful life, can also cause salt cravings. If you are an otherwise healthy person who suddenly begins craving salt, you should consult your doctor to rule out any medical conditions that may be the cause for your salt craving.

It is believed that a nutritional deficit can trigger food craving. This belief does not always apply to when a person craves a salty food because even people who have high blood pressure caused by high intake of salt will still crave salty foods. A few nutritional deficiencies can cause a salt craving.

Take a Multivitamin

If your body is deficient in chloride, you will crave salty foods. Chloride can be found in sea salt, seaweed, olives, fish, tomatoes and other foods. Mineral deficiencies can also cause a salt craving. You can take a multivitamin to make up for any dietary deficiencies such as these.

Drink Water

In some cases, if a person is getting dehydrated, they may crave salty foods because the salt acts to hold water in our bodies. If you crave salty foods, try a glass of water instead and see if that satisfies your salt craving.

No More Salting It Up Before Tasting It

A salty diet is common everywhere. Many people will salt their food without even tasting it first despite the fact that it was probably salted during its preparation. If you have grown up in a home where salt was used on every meal, your taste buds will want a salty taste with every meal for the rest of your life. This can make it difficult to reduce your intake of salt if your high sodium diet begins to affect your health.

If you want to reduce your salt intake without losing the flavor of your foods, try adding lemon juice, spices or low sodium substitutes. You can get your taste buds and your body to accept a lower salt intake if you work the salt substitutes into your diet gradually. After a while, you will not even miss the salt and when you taste salty foods, you may even be disgusted.

When people crave salty foods, they could be damaging their long-term health if they indulge their cravings at every meal. Before your salt cravings affect your health, it is best to get this craving under control before you are at its mercy.